Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad • Hacker News Board

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#111

Post by throw7 » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:25 PM UTC

siavosh wrote: post #34

I can't put my finger on its validity, but it all resonates the same to me: - Listening to billionaires arguing with each other about what society should be for the benefit of all since this recession started & - Trillions and billions of dollar companies battling it out as if they were the underdog in the public arena for the sympathy of us mere wage earners. The pervading sense I think from Left to Right is the sys…

That's how I felt like when I got the Google+ class action lawsuit email. Potential payout of $12... oh ok, thanks. I guess that also fixes similar problems in the future?

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#112

Post by mleo » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:25 PM UTC

sushid wrote: post #28

user5994461 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Apple fees must be in the order of a million dollar every couple days for Epic Games. Expect a full-on battle of the same magnitude. It is well worth it.

You don't know that unless you know what the legal costs are, their odds of winning the suit, the lost $$ and opportunity cost due to no sales on iOS, the revenue loss from their 20% discount on V-Bucks, etc.

The existing iOS devices that have the app installed seem fine unless Apple disables the certificate. So, it won't be no sales on iOS; just no new user sales.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#113

Post by smartbit » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:26 PM UTC

valine wrote: post #50

rched wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious as to why as a user you want alternative app stores? I understand as a developer why you would but it is less obvious to me how it would improve the experience for users.

There are lots of private apis in iOS which developers are not allowed to use but would allow for a richer, wider variety of apps. For example f.lux has a large feature set which isn’t built into Apple’s night shift. F.lux relies on a private api so the only way to get it on iOS is through Cydia or some other jailbreak App Store. Also I can imagine there would be lots of possibilities for third party watches if apps…

20 years ago Microsoft used APIs that competition didn’t know about. Seems like history is repeating itself.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#114

Post by filleduchaos » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:26 PM UTC

Youden wrote: post #82

user5994461 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Apple fees must be in the order of a million dollar every couple days for Epic Games. Expect a full-on battle of the same magnitude. It is well worth it.

Estimates place it higher than that [0]: "Broken down further, "Fortnite" is said to have made $1.6 million each day on Apple's devices; if Apple is pulling in its standard cut of 30%, Apple made somewhere in the realm of $136.5 million on "Fortnite" in 2018.". [0]: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-does-fortnite-make-...

How is that higher than what the OP said? If anything, it's lower.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#115

Post by jandrese » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:26 PM UTC

jvzr wrote: post #53

jandrese wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting the app for 20-30% less money would seem to be desirable for the users.

There is no way companies are passing that 20-30% to the consumers.

That's exactly what Epic just tried to do and what got them kicked off of the app store.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#116

Post by SolarNet » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:26 PM UTC

RaptorJ wrote: post #62

ziddoap wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a fan of what Apple is doing, and am happy to see it be tested in court. But, I'm not a fan of another multi-million dollar company making such a blatant appeal to emotion, as if Fortnite needs to be "freed", to the common person who has no concept of how nuanced the legalities of this entire thing are. I'll be happy when the theatrics are over with, and we can simply view the outcome of the legal precedent t…

putting aside the farce of judiciary-as-non-political-body, why wouldn't this also be a battle for the legislatures to consider?

I was going to comment Twitter != legislature.

But uhm, fuck us right?

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#117

Post by ryukafalz » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:27 PM UTC

Brendinooo wrote: post #78

Didn't these guys build their own distribution channel and withhold their best game from a competitor so they could 1) build their own walled garden and 2) avoid Steam's 20-30% fee?

And paid devs who were previously planning Linux releases for exclusivity on their Windows/Mac-only store.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#118

Post by Tade0 » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:27 PM UTC

Johnjonjoan wrote: post #35

Do the ends justify the means? The way I see it Apple will be rightfully scrutinised but only because a giant corporation used propoganda on its users. The lowest common denominator: "they're stopping you playing the game!!!"

A certain dynamite-throwing villain would rightly point out here that "hey, as long as it works".

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#119

Post by cglong » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:27 PM UTC

Rotten194 wrote: post #71

rched wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah that is fair. That assumes that the developer passes the cost on to the user and the alternative app stores take 0-10%. Here is my fear. I like most, not all, of the restrictions the App Store puts on apps. If there were alternative app stores developers might only provide their apps on those stores that don't provide the same user protections I value. This is why I would prefer Apple to resolve this without all…

Then don't use the alternative app stores.

You're getting downvoted but this is a legitimate response. Epic tried pulling out of Google Play, but due to the number of gates a user has to go through to install an app from outside Play, they ultimately had to add it back.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#120

Post by jmcqk6 » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 9:29 PM UTC

sebmellen wrote: post #96

CM30 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For better or worse, many individuals and companies have realised that the court of public opinion can have as much (or even more) of an effect than the legal system can. Hence instead of settling issues in private, now a lot of organisations are trying to set off a negative PR storm aimed at their opponents that paints them as the victim/underdog. So that's the real goal here. To cause enough of a social media contr…

It really seems that the court of public opinion has risen out of a dissatisfaction with courts of law. Of course, maligning the public opinion of your opponent is not a fair way to deliver justice, and it's a kangaroo court, but I wonder - if our legal system were better, would this phenomenon still arise?

Oh man, you put this into words so well exactly what I have been thinking. We have a justice system that has massive problems, and there is very little change or improvement happening. Confidence in the system is at all time lows. It's not surprising that in these circumstances people are going to look elsewhere for whatever justice they can find.